The methods and marvels of emigration
In this week's Times Past, historian Jonathan Smyth explores how, in the 1830's, emigration was actively encouraged among local families, with Canada a choice option.
The German travel writer and Librarian, Johann Georg Kohl, whilst touring Ireland in 1842, observed the beautiful landscape that contrasted to the ‘ruin, decay, rags and misery’ he met with, and solemnly wondered if it was the national character, or English misrule that that brought about these horrible conditions of suffering.
In the book, ‘The Young Ireland Movement’, Historian Dr Richard Davis notes Kohl’s shock, ‘by the repressive activity of the armed constabulary’, the discipline of the ‘hated new workhouses’ and commented on the disturbances in counties like Tipperary where secret agrarian societies operated. Kohl stopped along the route to survey many of the hovels in which the unfortunate people lived.
From the 1830s, emigration was actively encouraged, for example in Cootehill leaflets were distributed by the clergy, encouraging families to travel to the colonies, with Canada becoming a choice option. In 1849, Mr Logan of the Australian Emigration Society rolled into Cavan to sell the merits of living a life of plenty in the sunshine down under. However, not everyone bought the spiel that emigration may lead to a better life with the Young Irelander’s calling it, the ‘last expedient of despair’. For those who emigrated and did succeed in foreign lands, the hills were metaphorically greener.
In September 1849, a meeting was held in Cavan Town with the objective of persuading as many families as possible to take the boat to Australia. Mr Logan of the Australian Emigration Society had the pleasure of addressing the local nobility and the machinery of local government, amongst whom were in attendance, Lord Farnham, KP; the Earl of Lanesborough; the honourable H. Cavendish Butler; Mr Frewen, MP; William Humphreys, JP, DL; Mr Nesbitt, Lismore Castle; John Little; Lieut. Col. MacArthur; William Tatlow, JP; Abraham Brush, JP; W. Armitage Moore; and Samuel Swanzy, clerk of the crown.
Logan began his scintillating address, informing the keen-eared landlords that he read with sadness accounts of the melancholy state of the poor in Ireland and wondered why they could not be ‘removed thither’ to where they ‘might enjoy comfort’ and a plentiful existence below one of the finest skies which ‘canopied this earth’. Logan told the captive audience that in his attempts to enlighten communities around England, he learned that Australia’s circumstances were as ‘misunderstood’ as its geography. Australia, he explained, was as big as Europe with not a sixth of it explored. The population was some 200,000, with 50,000 in Sydney and 14,000 in Port Philip. To clinch the landlords co-operation, Logan told them of the ‘abundance’ of farming stock, amounting to more than the human inhabitants. He told them: To give an idea of the abundance of farm stock compared to the inhabitants … there are 10,000,000 sheep and 11,000,000 cattle and when divided by the population, equated to 50 sheep and five head of cattle per person.
The middle district of New South Wales was where it was all happening according to Logan and for the new arrivals, an emigrant fund had been established to aid all industrious persons of good character who came in search of a better life. Therefore, a potential emigrant sent forward with good references from Cavan could expect to receive assistance from the fund when they arrived in this part of the colony.
Those appointed as secretaries and local agents for the Australian Emigration Society were Lord Farnham, H.C. Butler, Sir John Young MP, Robert Burrowes, William Humphreys, Theophilus Lucas Clements, John E. Vernon, Robert Erskine, William Johnston and John Egan.
Earlier, in February 1849, Dawson Richard Coote of Beehive, a landlord whose property, situate in the large townlands of Carrickacromin and Knocketeggart, in the south eastern part of the parish of Larah had received a glowing write-up in the pages of the Anglo-Celt for showing true liberality towards his tenants. Like many Irish farms, the land had been subdivided into one or two acres per farm and when the ‘An Gorta Mór’ struck many of those tenant farmers took to public works in a ‘vain attempt’ to earn a keep, to hold on to the land.
Unable to pay their rent arrears, they feared expulsion and the razing of their homes; however, this was not to be the case, as a result of Coote’s agent, Richard Mayne of Newbliss, who did not permit any of the tenants to enter the ‘yawning’ grave of the workhouse and instead, he forgave them of every penny of owed in arrears, then clothed them, paid the passage fee for each family to sail to America and covered everyone’s food bill for the journey. In all, twenty families were accommodated, consisting of more than seventy individuals.
The families were: Pat Clarke, family of five members; Pat Corcoran, family of seven; Hugh Smith, family of six; Edward Reid, family of nine; Owen McDonald, family of three; Owen McGogin, family of two; Michael Finegan, family of two; Thomas Russell, family of two; Michael Fitzsimons, family of seven; Anne Reilly; Bernard McDonald; John Brady, family of five; Thomas Kelly, family of two; Edward Kelly, family of two; Loughlin Carolan, family of three; Edward Boylan, family of three; James Brady, family of six; James Farrelly, family of six; and Michael Reilly.
The paper noted, ‘We are annoyed everyday with gentlemen of Whig principles, Tory principles, Conservative principles, Radical principles, and Repeal principles’, concluding, that here in Cavan, there was found a man of ‘real principles, the principles of justice and humanity, principles on which a constitution might be founded’.